It is known, that a problem which is currently very much under consideration as far as internal combustion engines are concerned is that of the periodic testing of the lubricating oil level in the engine sump, for preventing the level of oil from falling below a pre-determined level. At present this testing relies on the diligence of the vehicle user who must periodically test the level of oil and, if necessary, must effect periodic refilling of the oil.
It is readily appreciated that forgetting to make such tests can lead to serious damage to the engine.
In order to obviate this disadvantage there have already been introduced solutions which involve the utilisation of float devices positioned within the oil sump and which, consequently, are extremely complex from the structural point of view and in practice applicable only to newly built engines. Moreover, the known solutions have a significant constructional complexity and are not very reliable in that they are easily subjected to blockages and thus to operational failure.